Tales of My Heart
by Amber Mushi
Summary: Collection of stories revolving around the individual characters of Fire Emblem 7. Who knows what you'll find? Action/Romance/Humor/Angst/Little bit of everything.
1. Preface

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**Tales of My Heart: When Ecstasy, Melancholy, and Death Become Meshed**

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*~Preface~*

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Humans are capable of producing many different emotions. These emotions spur us to take action and affect everyone differently. There are many questions surrounding emotions, but most curious of all is the emotion they refer to as 'love.' Although defined merely as a state of high affection in most cases, a lengthy discussion with various legitimate answers can be started with the question, "What is love?"

It is a powerful driving force, a motivator unlike any other. In the name of it, people have been known to conquer lands and wreak havoc. It can give birth to new emotions. Joy, anger, and so on. It can take many forms. Platonic, romantic, unconditional. It can be corrupted. Lust and obsession. It is controlling. It can be beautiful and devastating. It can make one indestructible. It can make one vulnerable, allowing one's heart to be broken.

Everyone has different takes on it, depending on their upbringing, background, experiences, and other factors. This collection tells the experiences of some of the people of this world with this product of the heart known as love.


	2. Matthew

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything else that may appear in this story.

Title doesn't allow ellipses? =/

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Matthew – Opportunity

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Leila ducked to avoid a low branch of a tree as she quickly made her way through the dark forest. She had been silent for some time now, although not because she wanted to be. The smirk on her face would have slightly irritated those who knew her as they could tell she had something she wanted to say yet wasn't saying. She took care to stay as silent for as long as possible but she could not take it anymore. With the smirk still on her face, she turned her head to face her companion. "You know that it's your fault we had to escape, right?"

Matthew wore a look of annoyance. "And you had to mention this, why?"

"Oh, no reason. Just remembering the last time we were on a mission together and ended up in a predicament quite like the one we're in right now," Leila remarked casually.

Matthew appeared unaffected but silent as they continued walking. And Leila continued. "Remember how you were constantly reminding me that it was my fault that we had to run away to avoid being killed? How because of my small mistake, our mission was ruined beyond repair? You really never let me live that down."

"That mistake was hardly what you could call small," Matthew commented, now recalling the incident, which had also ended with the two of them running for their lives from enemy soldiers. "And now you're doing the same to me?" he guessed.

"It really is so simple, isn't it Matthew?"

"I do so regret it now," he grumbled sarcastically.

"Do you think you're going to be able to get away with that?" Leila asked in mock surprise. "I don't know when the great Matthew will make another mistake again so naturally I must make the most out of this opportunity, right?

Matthew actually was surprised. He chuckled softly. "People don't usually see this side of you."

Leila had a faint smile. "I guess they don't," she said quietly as she looked away and continued forward.

The image of her smile lingered in Matthew's mind. It was beautiful. She really did look the best in dangerous situations. It was her element. It was what brought out the best in her and allowed her to thrive and grow. And it was what excited them both. They were spies, after all. It was part of the reason they had gotten into this line of work.

"Leila…" Matthew said, letting the sound of her name roll off his tongue.

She turned her head and their eyes met. He stopped in his tracks and quickly shook his head. "What?" she asked.

"Oh. It's nothing."

She raised her eyebrows in a quizzical look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Let's keep going or we'll be caught."

There were of course, drawbacks to being a spy. Because of the nature of their work, their time together was limited. They both had devoted a countless amount of hours to their cause, but not as much to their relationship. Days and even months in disguise to gather information for their kingdoms at the risk of various degrees of punishment or death. So much time was devoted to taking undercover roles and while they got to meet plenty of new people and infiltrate all kinds of places, hardly any time was spent as their true selves, without any secret identities to interfere.

Everything was so structured when in their various roles that Matthew had sometimes forgotten how he was supposed to act when in the presence of those who knew him personally. Of course, his job necessitated that he not show any signs of struggle regarding this inner conflict.

Matthew's thoughts about his surroundings drifted as he could now only focus on Leila. He was suddenly filled with a desire to ask her the question which he had been thinking about for quite some time. "After all," he told himself, "We don't know when we're going to be able to see each other again. Our next assignments could have us going to opposite ends of the globe for all I know."

He had been considering asking her if she would consider giving up her work… and dare he say it? Settle down. If he was going to do it, he had better do it soon. He had a feeling the next opportunity to be alone with her would not come easy.

"Leila," he said for the second time that night.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"I-"

"I think we found them!"

Matthew quickly looked around to see where the voice was coming from as Leila did the same. He cursed under his breath. They had slowed down too much, allowing the soldiers to catch up to them. The mood was different now and all his previous thoughts regarding their job and settling down scattered within his mind.

"Get them!" Multiple soldiers came at them with their weapons raised in plain sight, hungry for the blood of the so-called traitors. Matthew and Leila took one look at each other and knew the other was thinking the same. There were too many to resort to fighting, which neither was thrilled about anyways. So they ran.

While running, Matthew used his sword to slash a tree branch from hindering him. He would ask Leila later. For now, staying alive was what was important. And he _would_ ask later.

The danger in their work was alluring, but Matthew felt he would have to forsake it if he really did mean to settle down with her. Being together with her, even without the daily excitement his work brought, was better than not being with her at all.

He needed to grasp the next opportunity when it came. Before it was too late. Before the danger overpowered and consumed them. "Could anything be worse than regret?" Matthew stored this thought away deep in his mind and looked forward into the dark, with his lover running by his side.

"Soon."


End file.
